Book marker



Patented Mar. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOOK MARKER. Cavour L. Truesdale, St. Louis, Mo. Application June '12, 1939, Serial No. 278,636 I i 1 Claim. (01. 116-119) r I to the new position and the cords are slipped over My invention relates to book markers; and has for its principal object to produce a very simple and highly efficient structure which may be readily placed in a book so that the individual units 5 comprising the marker may be caught in place and firmly held in position. Another object is to provide individual marking units so constructed that they may be individually placed in position without disturbing the remainder of the marking units, and this is especially desirable where the individual units need to be shifted from one place to another between the leaves of a book. Another object is to provide front and rear members that fit next to the inside cover of the book with a slotted arrangement, whereby the cord which secures the individual marking units in position can be readily attached and detached, particularly with reference to the rear member.

Heretofore book marking devices of the type to which my invention relates have been more or less difficult to manipulate, due to. the fact that in some instances the individual'units had only a perforation at the top and bottom through which the holding cord passed, and in order to detach an individual unit the cord had to be removed from a substantial portion of the marking units, including the one to be shifted. I am aware that hooked units have been employed, but the hooks were of such length that it was not easy to manipulate and shift the individual units without also manipulating the cord with the fingers. By my arrangement the individual, flexible marking units can be slipped over the upper and lower cords at their hooked ends without manipulating the cords at all by the fingers.

'In practice a substantial number of these individual marking units are placed in position in a book, after which the two end members that contact the inside covers of the book are placed in position and the cord, which is preferably elastic, is slipped beneath the upper hooks of the individual units and caught in position in the rear member, and this same action takes place with respect to the lower hooked ends of the individual marking units. Then, as the book is opened, the individual marking units are pressed into position near the back of the book by the elastic cord and are securely retained in such position. As said before, where it is desired to shift one of the individual marking units, said unit is simply disengaged from the upper and lower cords, preferably by pulling the top cord slightly forward to disengage it from the hooks, and then the individual marking unit is shifted the hooks, and the markers are all inposition ready for use.

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly brokenaway, of one of my individual marking units.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the front and rear members with the upper and lower cords in position.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a book, showing my markers in position therein.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, detail view, partly broken away, showing my markers in position in a book.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, detail view, partly broken away, showing one of my individual marking units in position in a book.

My marking device is comprised of preferably flexible, transparent units, the front and rear members I and 2 being of heavier material than the marking units themselves. The member I is perforated at the top and bottom, as shown at 3, to receive a cord 4 preferably of elastic material, which cord is threaded through said upper and lower perforations. The cord is knotted at its free ends, as shown at 5. The member 2 is slotted, as at 6, at both its upper and lower ends to receive the cord 4, which slips into said slots 6, and the knot 5 prevents the cord from becoming dissociated from said member.

Each individual marking unit I has affixed thereto a transverse member 8 which carries identifying insignia 9 adapted to project beyond the outer edges of the leaves of the book, as 2 shown in Fig. 3, so as to be readily observable to the user of the book. The transverse member 8 l is rigidly secured to the marking unit 7, as shown particularly in Fig. 1. The transverse members 8 are preferably fixed to their associated marking units 1 at varying distances from the ends of said marking units, sothat when the marking device is placed in a book each of the transverse members 8, and particularly the free, outer end thereof carrying the insignia 9, will be unobstructed and visible when the book is closed.

The individual marking units 1 are provided with hooks Ill and II, respectively, atthe upper and lower ends. It willbe noted that the lower hook II is rounded at its outer portion, and that this portion preferably extends slightly above the slotted section I l, the slots or notches in the bottom ends of the marking units being substantially deeper than the notches in the upper ends of the marking units. By this arrangement I obviate any contact of a sharp point with one at a point slightly beyond the upper and lower edges of the pages of the book, as shown in Fig. 5, which I have found facilitates the manipulation of the individual marking units, and also permits the elastic cord 4 to be readily slipped into position in engagement with said hooks at the top and bottom. When all of the individual marking units 1 have been placed in position between the leaves of the book, the front and rear members I and 2 are placed in position next to the inside covers, the knotted ends 5 of the cord 4 being detached from the rear member 2 and said cord being slipped into engagement with the'hooks l0 and H of the individual units 1, then the knotted ends 5 of said cord 4 are engaged with the slots 6 of the rear member 2, and then when the book is opened the cord 4 is pressed rearwardly under the hooks in and H, which firmly engages the markers in their fixed position in the book and retains them in their operative position.

The member 2 may be slipped up or down a distance sufiicient to permit the ready detachment of the lower cord 4, and then when the member 2 is released the elastic upper cord returns it substantially to its normal position.

I claim:

A book marker comprising a pair of outside members, and a plurality of individual marking units longer than the leaves of the book in which said marking units are to be inserted, one of the outside members having holes near its respective ends for receiving a cord, and the other outside member having deep notches formed adjacent each end into which knotted ends of the cord fits, said marking units having notches at their top and bottom extremities, said notches both being formed in the front edge of the marking units, the notches in the bottom ends of the marking units being substantially deeper than the notches in the upper ends of the marking units, the notches in the bottom ends of the marking units being so formed as to provide a rounded portionon the upwardly extending hook part, and the hook portion of the notch at the upper end of the marking units being slightly undercut, said hooks terminating beyond the upper and lower edges of the leaves of said book,

the cord connecting the said outside members,

engaging with said notches when the marking units are placed in said book upon opening of the book.

CAVOUR L. TRUESDALE. 

